Cities tackle congestion with driver fees

Kelly Sinoski, Vancouver Sun10.26.2012

A vehicle drives past congestion charge signs in London, England, indicating a fee to be charged for entering the downtown core. Introducing a similar system in Vancouver could ease congestion and help fund public transportation.

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In London, England, and Singapore, drivers are charged a congestion fee to enter the downtown core. In Siena, Italy, they pay for crossing municipal zones. In Oslo, Norway, there are 50 toll stations along city roads.

And if you’re moving heavy goods in countries like Germany or Switzerland, expect to pay for using the roads.

Such measures aren’t here yet, but look to the future: Metro Vancouver mayors are pushing for some form of road pricing policy to generate money for transit projects in the next 30 years.

The move would join a worldwide trend, driven in part by declining revenue from the fuel taxes that are often used to fund transportation.

The idea is to encourage people to get out of their cars and onto transit, bikes or walking paths, in hopes of easing congestion for people and goods moving across the region.

In Singapore, which has had a congestion charge since 1973, there has been a 70-per-cent bump in transit ridership.

“The only tool we can even begin to look at is around road pricing for a fair and equitable system,” said Surrey Mayor Dianne Watts. “We have to be very, very clear — existing tools do not work.”

A panel of U.S. experts, who have worked on road pricing plans in Washington state and Oregon, as well as Australia and Singapore, say charging for road use is one of the most sustainable ways to generate funds for transit. This is often seen as more equitable because it’s broader than just tolling one or two bridges or tunnels.

In Puget Sound, for instance, there are proposals to toll all freeways by 2035. Los Angeles is mulling the idea of charging drivers six cents for every mile they drive, which could bring in $11.5 billion a year.

But the proposals are mired in politics.

“The problem is that it comes from someone; it comes from a public that is not entirely convinced they should be giving it to you,” said Mark Hallenbeck, of the University of Washington.

Ed Regan, a leader in tolling, pricing and transportation finance, said while most people want a free road or bridge, they will be willing to pay if the option is no road or bridge.

He suggests Metro Vancouver should consider offering value in any plans for road pricing and follow the principles: using any new tax as a substitute for revenue, perhaps by reducing gas or property taxes in exchange; and changing the public’s perception that road travel should be free.

TransLink subsidizes roads in Metro Vancouver, and must pay municipalities to maintain the network.

Dallas, Texas, plans to toll two of six lanes on a new freeway but has promised drivers a guarantee: if they can’t drive the stated speed limit, they get their toll reimbursed.

Regan acknowledges there’s another potential problem: the perception of invasion of privacy. New Zealand charges a fee for each kilometre driven on the roads, which can be done by installing a GPS in the vehicle. He notes this may cause some resistance to drivers, but there are ways to sweeten the pot, such as offering technology that will provide drivers with options for faster routes or detours.

He suggests one way to sell tolling or other road pricing might be to follow the lead of Stockholm, Sweden, which introduced its congestion tolls through pilot projects so drivers could experience the benefits.

“There are unlimited number of possibilities. Road pricing is not obvious, it’s a potential solution,” Regan said. “There are lots of challenges and questions about how to do it.”

Cities tackle congestion with driver fees

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